That was just one notable victory on a thrilling day of competition that also brought historic wins for Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu and British skeleton's Lizzy Yarnold, and mixed fortunes for the host nation in short-track speed skating.

The 22-year-old Czech Ledecka, who is also competing in parallel snowboard events at the Games, had never previously come close to winning a skiing World Cup.

But a dream run saw her beat elite racers, including Lindsey Vonn, Lara Gut and defending champion Anna Veith - the last by a mere 1 hundredth of a second.

"That is incredible," she said. "As I stood at the finishing line I thought that must be a mistake. Are they going to change the time? Have I missed a gate?"

Hanyu held on to his singles title to become the first men's figure skater to defend the Olympic title since 1952.

"I have no words right now. I am overwhelmed," Hanyu said. "I am just happy with my performance and my hard training and everything."

He also has the honour of winning the 1000th gold medal since the Winter Games began in 1924.

Yarnold, defending champion from Sochi 2014, produced a track record in her last run to retain her crown with another Brit, Laura Deas, also making the podium in bronze.

It is a remarkable success for the country which invests heavily in the technology side of the sport to aid its sliders.

Hosts South Korea had mixed short-track fortunes as Choi Min Jeong delighted her home crowd by claiming gold in the women's 1,500 metres.

But moments later in the men's 1,000m, compatriot Seo Yira, the reigning world champion, could only scramble a bronze after being caught up in a crash caused by Hungary's Shaolin Sandor Liu. Canada's Samuel Girard took an unlikely gold through the chaos.

Sarah Hoefflin took gold in the women's slopestyle in freestyle skiing while Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia finally took gold, after two previous silvers, when she won the 12.5-kilometre biathlon mass start.

And Norwegian great Marit Bjoergen anchored women's cross-country relay gold in a thrilling duel with Sweden to become the first women's Winter Olympian to get seven gold medals and a record-equalling 13th overall.

She moves level with countryman Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who is the most successful Winter Olympian with an 8-4-1 tally, and could yet overtake him by the end of the Games.

In ski-jumping, Polish icon Kamil Stoch clung on to his first-round lead to become the second man to win back-to-back Olympic large hill ski-jumping gold.

Germany continue to top the medal table with nine gold medals, four silver and four bronze, ahead of Norway (7-8-7) and the Netherlands (6-5-2).

Meanwhile organisers said ticket sales have almost reached 1 million - despite empty seats remaining visible at many venues - and reported the number of norovirus cases has risen by 17 to 261.

It was also revealed that South Korean Olympic organisers wanted British International Olympic Committee member Adam Pengilly to remain in the country after a dispute with a security guard this week but the IOC convinced them that he should leave.